Educate yourself about immunization

Published 8:00 pm, Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Tribune recently reported the number of children up to date on their immunizations in Huron County was 81 percent in 2007, slightly higher than the national rate of 77 percent. For 2008, the rate is lower, according to the county health department. Partly due to the Hib recall last year, only 64 percent of Huron County children have received all the required vaccines as of Sept. 30. When the health department counted children who had received every vaccine except their final dose of Hib, the number reached 76 percent, according to health department statistics.

While it’s good news that the vast majority of parents are making the choice to fully vaccinate their children, almost one in five Huron County children are at least partially unprotected.

Parents have different reasons for not keeping their child’s immunizations up to date, and while some reasons are legitimate, such as fear of side effects and religious objections, some are poor excuses.

Increasingly, parents fear vaccines could harm their children. While every medication carries the risk of side effects, it is an undeniable fact that immunizations prevent deadly diseases. Many more children benefit from vaccines than suffer serious side effects.

The media and celebrities frequently promote the dangerous myth that immunizations are not worth the risk. In September, former Playboy “Playmate of the Year” and MTV star Jenny McCarthy published her new book “Mother Warriors,” in which she claims a vaccine caused her son’s autism. While some legitimate groups connect autism to the MMR vaccine, parents should get an educated opinion from their child’s pediatrician.

Another reason parents do not fully vaccinate their children is even worse than ignorance — it’s apathy. Parents forget to make annual appointments for their children, and their immunization schedule falls behind. A parent’s first priority should be to protect their children, and simply neglecting to schedule immunizations puts children in danger.

A third reason children are not fully immunized is their parents cannot afford to take them to the doctor. If that is the case, help is available. People who have Medicaid or who have low incomes will not pay immunization fees at the Huron County Health Department. Those who do not qualify will pay a maximum of $10 per vaccination. Parents who need assistance can speak confidentially with health department personnel by calling (989) 269-9721.

In Michigan, parents must sign a school waiver if their child’s vaccines are not up to date. Michigan parents can cite a religious, medical or philosophical (i.e. any) reason for their decision not to vaccinate, but other states require the child have a medical condition or the parents have religious objections.

The power of immunizations is in numbers. If a few people are unvaccinated, those people are largely protected from coming in contact with diseases because others are vaccinated. When large groups of people decide against vaccination, the risk of outbreak increases.

By all means, parents should talk to their doctors about the risks associated with vaccination. Parents have an obligation to be as fully informed as possible about anything that affects their children’s lives. While it’s not the case for all children, most doctors agree that immunization is the responsible choice.